India biggest uranium mine commissioned

In a major milestone in the country's nuclear programme, the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) on Friday commissioned one of its biggest uranium ore mine and processing plant at Tummalapalle in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.

Atomic Energy Commission chairman and Secretary to Department of Atomic Energy, Dr Srikumar Banerjee, formally launched the plant at a simple function. He said the Tummalapalle uranium mine was of much bigger magnitude and it required the construction of a second processing plant, which would be taken up shortly.

According to the studies conducted by the Atomic Minerals Division, there are confirmed reserves of more than 49,000 tonnes of uranium at Tummalapalle and there are indications of much larger reserves -- at least three-folds of the current -- in the area.

"Tummalapalle could become one of the world's largest uranium deposits and the new facility would provide a major fillip to the country's nuclear programmes," Banejee said.

According to UCIL sources, the Tummalapalle uranium mine would be completely underground and would be dug up to the depth of 300 metres. The first processing plant, constructed next to the mine, has the capacity to process 3,000 tonnes of uranium ore. It would use alkali pressure leaching process to produce sodium di-uranate from the ore using advanced technology. It is, however, low-grade uranium with the availability of around 0.2 per cent, the UCIL sources said, adding that the mine and the processing plant are being developed at a cost of Rs 1,106 crores and spread over 900 hectares.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) chairman and managing director Dr S K Jain during his recent visit to Hyderabad said once the Tummalapalle uranium mines become completely operational, it would alone cater to 25 percent uranium requirement of the nuclear power plants in the country.